[bscb-l] funding for the T
alice dampman humel
alicedh at verizon.net
Fri Aug 12 04:13:27 EDT 2011
Jerry,
That's a great story, funny, yet not so funny...
Some of the drivers really make a game out of the
announcements (anything to cut the tedium, I guess!) They make
little puns, use rhyming couplets, things like that. There was a
woman on the blue line who always said things like the ubiquitous
"have a nice day" but said it in a way that was nice, like she
really meant it, and she was nice and helpful indeed. There are
the ones who mention things like Sox games and cheer the team at
the same time, offer advice about things to do or see to tourists
near the current stop, give info about which exit at Aquarium to
use if you're going to see the fishies, etc.
I have extremely mixed feelings about the automated
announcements. I have numerous objections which I won't bother to
enumerate here. But my biggest, OK, two biggest objections are
that they are usually way, way, way too loud to the point of
distortion of the sound and consequent increased difficulty in
understanding what is being said and that the timings are often
malfunctioning. I notice this more on the rails than the busses.
It really is not helpful to have the commuter rail going
"bling-bling, the doors are about to close" after the train has
been in motion for the last 40 seconds.
Alice
alicedh at verizon.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Berrier" <jerry.berrier at comcast.net>
To: "'Bay state (Massachusetts) discussion list'"
<bscb-l at acb.org>
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 3:52 AM
Subject: Re: [bscb-l] funding for the T
It's hard to force people to do things they don't like doing.
In Pittsburgh, I participated in a wonderful training exercise
put on by the
port authority for us blind folks. Our driver was very friendly
and seemed
very committed to his job. We took a nice little bus ride, and
he called
out all of the stops. He had a distinct voice, and I remember
thinking I
wish all bus drivers were like him.
Well, the following Monday morning, I happened to get him as my
driver, and
he never called out one single damned stop. Smiles. He liked
the Saturday
overtime work and was willing to comply with the requirements for
that, but
he didn't like calling out the stops on his weekday route.
Bottom line: I'm a big fan of automated stop announcements.
(Sorry, I
didn't mean to use the word fan). I'm a big fan, but not a noisy
one.
Jerry Berrier, Access Technology Consultant
18 Trunfio Ln
Everett, MA 02149
(508) 735-4420
jerry at birdblind.org
http://www.birdblind.org
-----Original Message-----
From: bscb-l-bounces at acb.org [mailto:bscb-l-bounces at acb.org] On
Behalf Of
Alison
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 8:16 PM
To: Bay state (Massachusetts) discussion list
Subject: Re: [bscb-l] funding for the T
"I mean, really now...how hard is it for a bus driver or subway
motorman to
announce the stops? It's done that way all over the world, both
in the past
and now. If a man or woman is entrusted with the responsibility
of driving a
mass transit vehicle and with the lives of the passengers on that
vehicle,
surely he/she has got
the smarts to read off a list of stopos, particularly on a
familiar route,
but also even on a new one."
Alice, since you have literally never driven a city bus in your
life, I
don't understand how you know what a driver should and should not
be capable
of? Stop assuming the worst about everyone at the MBTA. They
don't hate
you, they're not out to get you--they work hard to keep your
transportation
system running under often difficult circumstances. You should
also note
that the new automated stop announcement system also displays the
stop
visually so it is much more accessible for hearing impaired
passengers than
the old system.
The situation at Park Street and other stations with excessive
fan noise
could be solved by better acoustics (very expensive) or new
ventilation
systems in the stations and on the trains themselves (also very
expensive).
Where will the money come from? Saying "I don't care" is just
mean-spirited
and unhelpful in the extreme. Let's find a way to promote public
awareness
of the value of the MBTA to everyone--like the comment in the
interview you
referenced, that says people who never take the T still benefit
because it
reduces traffic congestion if some people are riding mass transit
instead.
Let's work with groups like the American Association for Public
Transportation on an issue that benefits blind people and sighted
people
alike--not to mention the environment and lots of other social
benefits as
well. Let's stop hating and start working with the MBTA to
improve public
support for it and thereby get the funds to increase service for
everyone.
----- Original Message -----
From: alice dampman humel <alicedh at verizon.net>
To: Bay state (Massachusetts) discussion list <bscb-l at acb.org>
Sent: Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:57:35 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: [bscb-l] funding for the T
We don't? That's news to me. Maybe you should talk to other
people and listen more...
and why are you bringing all these things into what started
out at least to be a question and discussion about excessive
noise from all sorts of fans and motors, among other things, on
the T, a discussion indeed about problems with the MBTA that
affect us, all riders?
If you'd like to discuss MCB or the Carroll Center or the
Braille And Talking Book Library or for that matter the Greek
economic crisis, the riots in London, the price of peaches in
China or the debt ceiling, fine. Start that topic, and I'm sure
many people will find all kinds of things to say, yea and nay.
But we're talking about the MBTA here and trying to examine and
perhaps find a solution for a problem that, I repeat, has nothing
whatsoever to do with whether or not blind people pay that 10
cents or 25 cents or whatever it is that people with other
disabilities pay or full fare for that matter, but that does
indeed compromise the safety of passengers, blind and sighted
alike. If the T decides to make blind people pay, fine. We'll
pay. But they obviously don't see a relatively few blind people
riding the T more or less frequently as a major source of
revenue. If they did, they'd be on us like white on rice.
Coincidentally, there was a very interesting interview with
and report about Davey, the former head of the MBTA who has now
been appointed as the head of MDOT. Here's the link.
http://radioboston.wbur.org/2011/08/11/davey-transportation-secretary
Davey made many interesting points. He mentioned that a fare hike
had not been implemented in the last 5 years but was coming soon.
He mentioned that the gasoline tax, also a source of revenue for
the T, was among the lowest in the nation, right down there with
Louisiana, not up there with other states with a good mass
transit system like New York. He mentioned that the T got
something like 160 million dollars (I may have that number wrong,
but it was a big number <grin>) last year from the increase in
the sales tax. He said that sometimes, motorists complain that
their gas tax or toll or other money goes to support the T when
they don't ride it, and Davey answered that all those people
stuck in the daily gridlock parking lot otherwise known as 128
should be extremely happy if people could be lured to mass
transit, thus leaving fewer cars on the road.
Anyhow, he apparently is not looking at the relatively few
blind people as the next source of major revenue for the T. He
sees things in better proportion than that.
I also forgot to mention in my last message that expensive
(and often unreliable) automated stop announcement technology is
another one of those unnecessary expenses. I mean, really
now...how hard is it for a bus driver or subway motorman to
announce the stops? It's done that way all over the world, both
in the past and now. If a man or woman is entrusted with the
responsibility of driving a mass transit vehicle and with the
lives of the passengers on that vehicle, surely he/she has got
the smarts to read off a list of stopos, particularly on a
familiar route, but also even on a new one. IMO, that money would
be better spent to improve service, not increase the bells and
whistles, hmmm, quite literally!
Alice
alicedh at verizon.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alison" <alison2911 at comcast.net>
To: "Bay state (Massachusetts) discussion list" <bscb-l at acb.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 11:57 AM
Subject: Re: [bscb-l] funding for the T
...but we never criticize how the Mass Commission for the Blind
uses its money, and we rarely even bother to criticize the fact
that the NLS Braille libraries have a policy of sending written
communications to patrons in PRINT (not braille) most of the
time. A lot of people could tell "war stories" about unfairness
and mismanagement and mistreatment at MCB and the Carroll Center
and Perkins (both schools make a lot of money from MCB contracts,
so our lobbying for funding directly benefits them), just as much
as we can tell bad stories about the MBTA. But for some reason,
in spite of all the problems with these "blindness
organizations," BSCB just obediently asks the State House for
whatever our MCB friends have told us to ask for. Why don't we
stop advocating for MCB every year if we should not advocate for
funding for any organziation that does not use funds 100% wisely?
Apparently we think we need MCB so much, we're willing to
overlook its many shortcomings. For some r
eason, the MBTA does not get this benefit of a doubt from us,
even though many of us get a lot more benefit from the MBTA on a
daily basis than we do from the Commission or the Carroll Center.
But for some strange reason, people in BSCB have decided to treat
the MBTA as though they are the enemy? This double-standard
helps nobody and in fact it hurts those of us who use the MBTA
because BSCB could be doing more to help the situation.
----- Original Message -----
From: alice dampman humel <alicedh at verizon.net>
To: bscb-l at acb.org
Sent: Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:30:49 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: [bscb-l] funding for the T
Alison,
Advocating for better/more funding for the T at the state
house as we do for funding for the Talking Book Library and other
similar things is not a bad idea at all.
However, and that is the however of "additionally," not
contradiction, there's a flip side to that coin. If the T is not
using the funds it already has wisely and well and for
improvements that benefit the ridership, not their CEO's pockets,
then no matter how much money is thrown at them and the T's
problems and shortcomings, the path of that money will always be
the same. I think the T should get its own current financial
house in order, and use the funds they have, however meager (or
not) they may currently be, more wisely, judiciously, and
effectively. I still believe from all I read, hear, and
experience that there is enormous waste from the point of view of
allegedly the most important segment of this equation, the
ridership, disabled and non-disabled alike, in the way the T is
run.
As in other political and social arenas, just because I
criticize the T and insist on holding its managers accountable
for how they use the resources they have, with the intent of
working toward improvement, does not mean I do not appreciate the
T and the service and opportunities it provides as much as the
rest of us. I think that should go without saying, but
apparently, there are those in our ranks that equate pointing out
problems and deficiencies as at least one step in fixing or
improving them, with some kind of gross disloyalty.
And for all those who indignantly insist it's better than
nothing or better than the proverbial poke in the eye, fine. Go
ahead and settle for better than nothing. Those of us who have
experienced better than that know how possible really efficient
and attractive mass transit can very easily be. But if you're
willing to settle, well, you deserve nothing better than "better
than nothing" or even nothing at all.
Take your pick.
Alice
alicedh at verizon.net
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